Amalgamator.



J. l. LEFORS.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.4.1915.

To all whom t may concern:

JOHN I. LEFORS, OF IBOISE, IDAHO.

f therein which is ordinarilylost in the inachines and `apparatus for-this purpose now in use, and more particularly to an amalgamating apparatus acting. upon the'gold contained material in successive operations, my object being to `provide an apparatus of this type which will actually and effectively save the line gold or Hour gold, and `also concentrate any other metal or mineral that may be contained in black sand or gravel content "in alluvial or placer mining ground.`

In the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention,- and which forma part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating the practical application of the complete device. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the amalgamator taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. i.

Fig. 3 is aVV detail plan view of the amalgamator bed. i

Fig. 4 is a detail sectionthroughthe amalgainator bed, taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 3. f Y s Referring now to these figures, and par-V ticularly to Fig. 1, the gravel or material to be acted upon'is dumped into an intake flume 10 leading to the set of grizzly bars indicated in this figure generally at 11. Vastematerial from the grizzly bars 11 finds itsvway into the waste fiume, seen at 1L1,`d0wnwhich it is carried and from which it is discharged. The grizzly bars 11 are disposed at the lower end ofthe intake flume 10 above a tank 15 as seen in Fig. 1, and between the grizzly bars and the tank 15 is disposed a boxed-in screen 16 which catches the .material falling through the grizzly bars,.the material incapable of passing through the screen being moved downwardly tliereover and into the waste flume lilwhich receives the material from the grizzly bars. i

The materialpassing downwardly through.

the screen 16 falls into the before mentioned tank 15, the latter of which is tapering, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

AMALGAMATOR.

Patented Mar. 2e, rais.

Application led Marchll, 1916. Sera11\To. 82,170.`

communicates `with the upper end of a laterally ,extending `and downwardly inclined feed chute 21, leading to the stationary classifier22at a point adjacent one side of its rear or upper end, the classilier22 consisting of a plate inclined slightly in a downward directioii toward itsforward end where it communicates with `a waste `flume 23.

This classifier` 22 just mentioned is pro-` vided with a series of riffles 24 arranged at a desired angle, forming between them inclinedchannels for the reception and trans portation` of the heavy material content, all material of a lighter specific gravity than gold, black sand, platinum, being washed into the waste flume 23, the other heavyvmaterial contents dropinto the .channels be-` tween the riflies 24 andare carried thereby laterally at an angle to one side and onto a feed board 27 extending laterally from the classifier and of gradually decreasing width toward its outer end. i i

` The feed board 27 just mentioned is provided with a plurality of converging grooves 28 insuring equal distribution of the material flowing over it, and an even discharge of the material from its outer end onto the amalgamator. 4 `The amalgamator as' bestseen in Fig. 1 has-an inclined bed 29, theinclination of which isin a longitudinal direction, which, i

is given a shaking or vanner motion through `connections 30. for this purpose, from a driven shaft 3l below and at one side of the bed, the bed, through vertical supports 32, supporting a pair of spaced parallel troughs 33 longitudinally thereabove, and inclined in the direction of their length and in adirection opposite to the inclination ofthe bed 29 as will be particularly seen by reference to Fig. 1. Y y

Centrally located above and longitudinally extending along each of the troughs 33 is one of a pair of lower copper plates upriglits -32 with their centers below the longitudinal side edges of the upper copper plate 35 which latter is also detachably connected to the supporting uprights 32 with its center below the outer edge of the feed board 27.

Thus, material from the feed boardstrikes the center of the upper copper plate '34, horizontally alined and thus spaced a and the overflow from the lateral edges of this plate drops upon the lower plate Bel, and from the latter to the trough 33, moving downwardly and rearwardly in thelatter and from its lower end onto the upper rear end of the bed 29. y

The upper sections of' the bed 29, as particularly seen inv Fig. 3, upon opposite sides of its central longitudinal dividing partition 3G, are provided with a plurality of cups 37 which, with the riiiles 38 in the lower part thereof, 'concentrate all the material: that passes from the amalga` mater plates lll and 35, the cups 37 holding the heavier concentrates, and the lighter concentrates passing on into the riiies according to their relative specific gravity, until alllight material or waste is washed out over the tailing board 39 at the lower forward ends of the bed, as seen in Fig. 1.

Thus, by means of the successive apparatus, the construction and operation of `which have `now been described, l am enabled to effectively save the fine or flour gold, the greater proportion of which goes to waste in the ordinary construction of placer mining machines. I claim r- A l. An amalgamator comprising an upper central amalgamating plate onto which the material is delivered, lower amalgamating plates arranged in spaced relation below the side edges of the upper central plate to receive material from the latter, and troughs ar angedbelow the lower side amalgamating plates for discharging the material therefrom. v

In a placer mining machine, an amalgamator including an upper amalgamating plate onto which the material is fed, lower Copies of this patent Vmay be obtained for ve cents each, hy addressing Washington, D. C.

and arranged to successively. receive and act upon the ore-bearing material, and troughs inclined beneath the amalgamating plates and between the same Vand the concentrating bed7 Vsaid troughs being inclined lengthwise of the concentrating bed to discharge the` material after passage over the amalgamating plates onto'one end ofthe concentrating bed.

a. ln a mining machine, an'amalgamator including a lower vibratory concentrating bed, upper amalgamating plates' connected to and vibrating with the concentrating bed and arranged tosuccessively receive and act upon the ore-bearing material, andtroughs being inclined beneaththe amalganaating` plates and between the same and the concentrating bed, said troughs being inclined lengthwise ofthe concentrating bed to discharge the material after passage over the amalgamating Vplat-es onto one end of the concent ating bed, said concentrating bed being inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination of the troughs, for the purpose described. 1

JOHN li. -Lnrons the Gommssionerof Patents, 

